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(No Model.)

G. W. SLEEPER;

SHOE. I No. 320,406. Patented June 16, 1885.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE W. SLEEPER, OF \VESTBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONEHALF TO WILLIAM A. REED, OF SAME PLACE.

SHOE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 320,406, dated June 16, 1885.

Application filed October 11, 1884. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE W. SLEEPER, of Westhorough, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Manufacture of Shoes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to the Form of shoe upper shown in United States Letters Patent granted me on the 25th day of March, 1884, and in United States Letters Patent granted W. A. Reed, August 19, 1881. In these patents the split was represented as made from rear to front in the upper blank or leather, ending at the point of termination of the slit or opening of the front of the shoe, the split extending all the way across the leather up to that point. This mode of splitting left a flap on each side connected to the blank or upper on the line of the split termination, which flaps were removed as waste material. The leather in front of the line of termination of the split remained of the ordinary or full thickness of the leather, while that in rear was split.

My present invention consists of an upper formed out of a blank split from the heel or rear forward, on lines substantially conforming to the shape of the upper, as contemplated, whereby the sides in those parts from which the flaps were removed in my previous patent are left of full thickness.

In the accompanyingdrawings, Figure 1 represents in plan the upper split aecordin g to my improved method, one side being turned up. Fig. 2 represents an upper which is split through only a portion of the width of the leather, leaving the edges of full thickness.

In the drawings the leather or blank is represented as cut in shape the same as that shown in my said patent. It is split from the rear forward, preferably on an incline, as shown in the patent to Reed aforesaid, and the split extends from side to side, as shown in Fig. 1, or through only a portion of the width, as shown in Fig. 2, until it reaches the points a w, when the knife or knives are turned out of the leather or aside and caused to out on the lines or y as far as the point y.

The split portion of the leather from the line 00 it forward is wholly contained between the lines as y, and terminates at the point y, and only the counters and upper parts of the shoe are of splitleather. marked B B, bounded by the lines a y a, heretofore split, of full thickness, and the lines at y are substantially those given the front part of the upper, where the lacing is applied. 00 y 2 on each side are parts which require strength, and the full thickness here obtained by this improved mode of splitting is desirable in the manufacture of shoes.

From this description it will be understood that no part of the leatheris wasted, the higher parts of the upper along the shoe opening in front, and the counter or upper part of the counter being of split leather and composed on one side of the upper and on the other of the lowerhalf of the blank leather. A machine for splitting these upper-blanks is shown in an application filed by me in the United States Patent ()flice, of even date herewith; but I do not herein limit myself to any special machine or mode of operation.

Vhat I claim is- A shoe-upper having the front and side portions, B, of full thickness and the counter or upper part thereof formed out of the upper WILLIAM SLEEPER, \VILLIAM A. REED.

This leaves the parts 55 The approximately triangular parts 60 

